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#MSVJackOfDiamonds – February 4, 2018
Nathan looks between the two of them as the words drift off. The man chews on his inner cheek, not sure what to say or what even to do at this point. All of this was beyond what he could understand. An insectoid race of abductors with the power to turn ordinary people into mindless abominations of man and machine? Come on, that's the kind of shit that one would hear about in movies. But... he experienced it. He
was taken by these things and he watched people die to them. "Fuck," he mutters as he begins to inadvertently pace. "Fucking hell... but, what just happened? It's proof now, right? We have so many different points of view, we have evidence, witnesses. It's better than nothing, right?"
Jason gives a couple of short, distracted nods and draws in a deep breath. "We do but-... You say that like proof even matters at this point, Ten." he finally says, pulling his attention back to Nathan. "Horizon was proof. Hell, I personally kicked in some doors to keep that tech out of the hands of some bad motherfuckers." he continues. It wasn't true, of course. Sure, it happened, but it wasn't the reason he was at
the barn. Jason wasn't there to keep a powerful weapon out of Cerberus' hands. It was just an added side effect. He was there for Vasquez. But that was beside the point. "And guess who was waiting to take the tech off our hands afterwards?" He pauses as he looks Nathan straight in the eyes, but doesn't bother waiting for a response. "The Alliance. So they know what's going on, Ten. And as much as I'd like to believe
that they've got crack teams all across the galaxy pulling off rescue missions and smearing ships like that-..." he gestures arbitrarily in reference to the Collector ship, "...all across the sky? It doesn't make sense that they'd keep quiet about it. People are scared. Fucking terrified. And they don't say a word. So why? Why wouldn't they put it on every fucking news broadcast across the galaxy if they're out there
kicking ass and taking names?" Again, he doesn't give a chance for a response, "Because they're not winning!" It's not hard to hear the anger behind his final words. His gaze falls briefly in a bit of frustration as he allows his emotions to get the best of him. Years of his life were devoted to serving the Alliance dutifully. There's no way for it to not feel personal for him. No way for him not to feel let down by
Pivin frowns as he listens to Nathan and Jason, sipping his water now that he finally has a glass of his own, after giving away both previous ones. He lingers by the kitchenette, the conversation having caught his attention.
Xiu comes up the stairs into the room next to the infirmary. She stops when she notices Zaylus, looking at him, and then over at the window, and Oxaris with in. "Is... she going to be alright?" she asks carefully.
Nathan blinks and instinctively finds himself taking a step back, hand twitching in reflex. He parts open his mouth, trying to think of a come back, maybe even accuse the man of being blinded by his past experiences or having spent too long out in the ass end of nowhere to know what's going on. But he finds no word come forth and he grits his teeth in frustration. If his elder sisters were here, he knew they'd be
out there kicking ass and freeing the kidnapped colonists. They're marines, best of the best, they-... so was Jason. He was a soldier. And seeing him now, like this, telling him this? He knew what he was like. He wouldn't be talking like this if there wasn't some modicum of truth to it. He looks at Leah, lingering on her for a moment before turning back to his boss, visibly draining as he just folds his arms
across his chest and looks away to some corner of the room. He doesn't know what to say. What can he say? After all, Leah said this has happened to them many times before, so it stands to reason that it'll just keep on happening. And they won't win ultimately.
Zaylus tilts his head up, overhearing the especially heated parts of the conversation in the galley. He's still seated leaning against the wall, and his gaze drifts over to Xiu, studying her in return. His mandibles twitch as he glances over toward the infirmary, chewing on the question before eventually replying. "She's fine. For now." He eyes her up and down. "Why do you care?"
Ehanis leaves the half-empty glass on the counter and makes her way downstairs, going to the bathroom. She did not feel like listening to this, not with the headache she has going on.
Ilyna enters the galley and takes the outermost seat at the nearest table. She catches the tail end of Jason's conversation, and frowns, but she doesn't say anything.
Xiu seems a little taken aback by Zaylus' questioning. Her gaze darts down briefly. "I just... don't want any more death." she says quietly, looking back at the unconcious turian. Her attention slowly turns to the pile of armor on the floor. The painted helmet. "She was the one that found me, wasn't she...?"
Zaylus seems unaffected by Xiu's response until her last words have had a moment to settle in. He sighs quietly, shoulders slumping as the weight of them suddenly feels greater. "Maybe she was." He murmurs, "Either way, she kicked ass to get us back." He continues, quietly insistent. "We all owe her now."
Leah doesn't interrupt as the two speak. The Alliance was a part of her life, too, but it wasn't nearly as engrained in her as it was Jason. She doesn't come from a military family like he does. It's not nearly as personal for her. But it still stings to hear. As Nathan looks her way, she meets his gaze only briefly before it falls back to the floor.
Jason bites down, reigning himself in with a deep breath. As he spots Ilyna, he gives a somewhat embarassed- almost apologetic- glance her way and slugs back another long sip from his drink. "Look..." he begins again as his attention returns to Nathan, the bite having left his words, "I have no doubt they're doing what they can behind the scenes, okay? But you're right... We need to do whatever we can to help them with-...
with whatever the hell they're doing to make this right. And we will. Hell, for all we know, the people on this ship might very well be the only motherfuckers without wings to leave a Collector ship in one piece." he continues, passing a glance about the others in the room with a small nod that's followed by a humorless snort as that overwhelming thought settles in. "That means our intel could be invaluable to the
Alliance. I've already put together a message for a contact of mine in the Alliance that's just waiting for a comms buoy. Captain Riley. N7." He passes another brief glance Ilyna's way, aware that the name might be familiar to her. "So anyone with good footage? Send it my way. Without Renala around I'm gonna need to look around for some other nerd to-..." he shakes his head, his lack of familiarity with tech causing him
to just flub his way through whatever he's trying to say, "..to-... uhh-..." he raises one hand, pantomiming typing feverishly for a moment, "...You know. Edit the footage. Remove any identifying audio and shit. Then, assuming my contact comes through? I'll pass it along her way."
The galley has been entirely 'self-serve' so far during the trip back. None of the activity and life from before. None of Lucy's cooking. Just slightly stale breakfast foods and a whole lot of canned and frozen goods.
Xiu goes quiet after Zaylus' last sentence, nodding faintly as she looks through the window. The conversation upstairs diverts her attention, and she furrows her eyebrows as she moves to ascend the stairs slowly, shooting a slightly awkward glance Zaylus' way before disappearing out of his view.
Zaylus keeps his gaze low, unsure if the woman will have any more to say. At her glance he gives the slightest downward nod before straightening out his gaze. It's a very small gesture of acknowledgement but a gesture all the same. After she's gone he leans his head back against the wall, focusing to hear the conversation upstairs.
Lucy is sitting on the bridge, staring out with puffy eyes at the swirling envelope of distorted space around them as she sips the glass of water that Pivin gave her. It's a distant, empty stare. The empty whiskey bottle still lies on the floor by her chair, and the discarded guitar is in the next chair over.
Nathan sighs softly and shrugs his shoulders. Whatever the sleep did to refill his energy reserves, it all quickly drained away with the conversation. "Changed your tune quick," he remarks under his breath as he turns to look back to Jason. Then, in a much clearer tone before he could be called out on his muttering, says, "I'll do what I can with the footage. Won't be award winning, but it's won't be hard to cut,
move and paste clips here and there to form a cohesive story. But, how in the hell did you get a contact in N7 of all places?" He raises an eyebrow skeptically.
Xiu emerges from the stairs, lingering nearby as she looks at Jason and Nathan, gaze moving from one to the other as she listens.
Ilyna raises her brows at first as Jason casts a glance her way, but it doesn't take her long to connect the name. She nods, but leaves it up to Jason whether to share with him where they have the contact from. "Isn't it best if the alliance gets all we have on the Collectors?" she asks, "even if it identifies us and our mission?"
Jason gives a shake of his head, unwilling to let Nathan's comment go. "You asked 'why us', Ten. I answered." he says as he pulls in a deep breath, suddenly seeming exhausted over the whole conversation. "We had no fucking idea what we were getting ourselves into. It's that simple. The Evening Star was a case of being in the wrong place at the wrong time. We were treading water and didn't have anywhere to turn for answers. So
we did what we could." His gaze travels to Leah and Ilyna as he considers the long, painful road they've all been on together before looking back to Nathan. "But Horizon changed that. Regardless of what was going on away from prying eyes? That footage made it public. We're not alone in this fight anymore." His gaze falters briefly as he realizes his little outburst may have hit Nathan's morale more than intended. "...And
yeah... Maybe things aren't going our way right now. Colonies are going missing and people are scared. But we can win this, Ten." he says softly. Sincerely. "We just proved that when we gave those fucks a big middle finger by walking out the front door of their ship." He holds the man's gaze for a moment longer as he hears Ilyna's question before looking her way and giving a small nod. "Yeah-... maybe." he shrugs,
perhaps confirming that he's just making it up as he goes along, "...I don't know." As the image of Agent Lessard's smug, punchable face staring at him from across a table comes to mind, he gives another sigh. "I just think it's better for all of us if we stay off of the radar of Alliance intelligence."
Ilyna sighs. She wish she could share Jason's optimism (relatively speaking) about this, but the collectors are probably reflecting over this encounter as well; and they had them beat in terms of numbers and resources. She has already voiced her thoughts last night, however, and saw no reason to repeat herself; so she focuses on his answer to hea instead. "Aren't we identifying ourselves by handing this over
to your contact?" she asks. "I'm not arguing your decision though. You know the Alliance better than I do."
Nathan rolls his shoulders in a shrug, the damage done. "Sure, a company of mercenaries against the Collectors. Give me a break. We didn't give them the middle finger, we crawled out broken and bruised with a trail of bodies behind us that weren't all Collectors or those fucking zombies. One of ours is in the med-bay right now with a hole in her chest, for Christ's sakes. I can't share your optimism here. The
Citadel, if they gave a shit, probably could win. But us? Tsk, you're dreaming." He throws a dismissive wave at the man before reaching down to grab his canteen. He unscrews it and tilts his head back, swallowing the last swig from it with a grimace. Bourbon breakfast. Very healthy. "I won't shy away from a fight with them. I want to watch them burn for what they're doing, for what they did... and, sure,
maybe we'll win a battle or two against them but this is not a war we can win. Shit, you said it yourself, the Alliance aren't winning. What hope do we have?"
Xiu can't seem to look away from the argument, but Nathan's outburst causes her gaze to dart around across the floor as her mind races. Soon enough her attention is back on them.
Jason gives a couple of short nods in response to Ilyna. "Absolutely." he says. "But Captain Riley seemed on the level. I'm not asking for much in return, just some information. Figure her keeping our names off the record for the sake of solid intel is a fair trade." he explains. Riley had stepped in when things got heated between himself and Lessard. She's a soldier, and he'd put his faith in a soldier over a spook any day of
the week. "And-..." he starts when Nathan begins speaking, drawing Jason's attention his way. His brow furrows, a bit of frustration creeping into his expression until Nathan mentions Oxaris, causing his expression to fade away. His gaze lowers to the floor. He's well aware they're in over their head. He and Vasquez had already made their peace with that. They hung their hats in this fight. Horizon was supposed to change
things. Wash their hands of this whole nightmare. Put the responsibility right where it should have always been: in Alliance hands. And then they could focus on Redrock. On their life together. On their family. But this time it wasn't a random attack. It wasn't a colony chosen from a galaxy map. It was Li. It was targeted. It was personal. And if it was personal, then that meant it was no longer their decision whether
or not they were going to get involved in this fight. The Collectors- The Revelator, whoever he, she, or it may be- was calling the shots now. "Yeah..." he says quietly, giving a few nods, "...We took some hits back there. People died-..." he continues, passing a brief glance in the general direction of the bridge, "...and we damn near lost one of our own." He fights back at that nagging voice in the back of his head
that says 'Still might'. After everything Oxaris did out there, that's not happening. "But we hit them back tenfold. That-... that thing came to us, Ten." he leans to his side, cocking a cybernetic thumb towards the weapons station, "Directly. You know what that means? It means it's scared. It means it knows that we're not just going to lay down and let it walk over us. And, hell, after what we just pulled off? It
Nathan barks a bitter and short laugh, stepping towards Jason and never once moving his gaze away. "We hit them back tenfold because they could spare the numbers! You saw them, we all saw them. They came at us in droves! I turned a hoard of them to atoms with the Cain and, a minute later, another small army came pouring out at us and that fucking possession thing happened every minute or two. It never took cover,
it stood there and taunted us as we kept blowing it away and it kept coming back. And for every time we killed him, two of us came out fucked up." He throws a hand out to the side, his voice carrying a sharp bite to it. "It wasn't scared. It was gloating. Reminding us that no matter how many times we kill it, it'll come back again and again and again. It was. In. Pieces. It was barely holding itself together
and, somehow, it still pulled my gun out of my hand and -crushed- it. I think you don't know what the hell all of that just meant, Wolfe. What we pulled off was a miracle, by any standards. We're not always going to be that lucky. Sure, we may give them a bloody nose. Sure, we might even do some serious harm against them." He sucks in a sharp breath and shakes his head a little. "But we're not winning
against those things. We're mercenaries. And only about half of us have any military or equivalent training."
Pivin seems to decide it's time to leave as tensions flare, heading down the corridor towards engineering without acknowledging Jessica.
Xiu sucks in her lips, staring off at the wall as Nathan speaks. She looks more than a little uncomfortable, but none the less she's frozen in place.
Oxaris shifts a little on the spot, her mandibles twitching. Her shoulders shift, small minuscule movements.
Ilyna stands up as Nathan finishes speaking. "You're right, Nathan," she says with a long sigh. "We're not winning a war against them." She takes a few steps towards the kitchenette before turning back to them. "But... we're part of it whether we want to or not," she says. "So, we'll find out what we can so that when they do come for our friends and family again, we can be ready to defend ourselves for as
long as it takes for help to arrive." If it does.... Ilyna wants nothing more than to be at home with Li, worrying about family, and her feelings for Halisi.
Leah's gaze moves between Jason and Nathan before settling on the latter. "Nate..." she says softly, attempting to calm him down.
Jason doesn't move. He merely holds Nathan's gaze until Ilyna stands up. He gives a small nod to her words, folding his arms across his chest and resting his beer in against the crook of his elbow as he listens. "...I'm not saying we go out looking for a fight, Ten." he adds, keeping his composure. Yeah, it's frustrating to hear Nathan talk like this after what they just went through. It doesn't help anyone's morale to hear
that the only reason they survived was because they were 'lucky'. He may not disagree with everything coming out of Nathan's mouth, but he certainly can't fault the man for feeling this way. He just had his eyes opened to something terrifying. Something that, before Horizon, most of the galaxy didn't even know existed. Something himself and Ilyna have been dealing with for years. Trying to make sense of. Trying to fight.
He shifts against the fridge he's leaned up against, giving a small shake of his head. "I'm not saying we-... we track these assholes down. I'm not an idiot." Debatable. "We leave that shit to the Alliance. Supply them with whatever intel we can and do our part if it comes down to it- and I hope to hell it doesn't come down to it. But they came for Li, Ten." He takes a deep breath, glancing off to the side for a
moment- back to Ilyna- before his attention rests back on Nathan. "I'm just saying we get ready for a fight. Because, like she said... Like it or not, we're a part of this now."
Nathan clenches his jaw and turns his gaze to the side, looking at Leah then at Ilyna for a moment before slowly exhaling. He takes a single step back and looks up to Jason, his body language slacking as a modicum of guilt settles over him. He believed his own words, he did. It was a miracle, by no stretch of the imagination and he was scared at the thought of that happening again. What if they come for them again?
What if... what if Sofia gets caught up in this because they decided to piss of the boogeymen of the galaxy? "..." He nods, almost forced, and retreats a few more steps. Embarrassment settles in over his outburst and he looks at everyone in turn. "..." He doesn't know what to say. Apologise, maybe? Try and crack a quip? No, he can't do either. "Understood," is what he eventually settles on. He lingers on the
spot for a moment before swallowing and trying to suddenly walk out the room, hand on the back of his neck as a sinking feeling settles in his gut.
Ilyna looks a bit apologetic at Nathan's reaction, and she frowns as he starts leaving the room. "I wish we didn't have to involve anyone else in this... war," she says once Nathan starts leaving the room, not sure what else to refer to it by. She turns away from Jason, glancing over the kitchen for any readily available options for breakfast.
Jason remains quiet as the awkward silence fills the room, only broken up by Nathan's half-hearted statement. At first, it seems like he's going to let Nathan leave in silence, but as the man nears the door, a deep sigh escapes him and he steps away from the fridge. "Ten..." he begins, pausing to collect his words before continuing. "...We're all in this together, alright? I know it's a lot to process right now but-..." he
trails off. What can he say? After the Evening Star, he was little more than a drunken mess. He was in a dark place that he never managed to climb out of. Not fully, at least. "We're gonna figure this out." he settles on.
Jessica hasn't moved from her spot. The distant discussion barely even registers. Head pressed back against the wall, her good eye locks to Pivin as he makes his way past her, but she says nothing.
Leah seems as if she's about to stand up when Nathan leaves, but she stops herself. All of this is new to Nathan and, judging by how he acted going into this, he wasn't prepared for it. Who would be? If he needs to be alone, then she owes it to him to allow him that space.
Nathan doesn't respond to Jason. They're all in this together... a war against the Collectors? He knows it was meant to encourage but it did little more than make the lump in his throat tighten. He keeps moving towards his makeshift armoury, already preparing what he needs to say to Sofia. She needs to get back to Earth as quickly as possibe.
Ilyna picks up a can of yoghurt, turns it over to inspect it, puts it back and closes the fridge. She wasn't in the mood to prepare food, or try anything new. She takes a step closer to Jason, looking a bit unsure about what to say after this heated discussion has come to a close... for now. "We have to," she decides on.
Jason watches as Nathan exits the galley before turning back towards Ilyna and running his free hand through his hair in frustration. With an overwhelming enemy hunting them across the galaxy, the last thing they need is to start going at each others' throats. But Nathan had proven his worth time and time again. For now, all Jason can do is hope he works through this and comes out the other side.
Leah remains seated on the couch, discomfort washing over the room as Nathan steps out. "...He's just scared, Jason." she explains with a small shrug. "Give him time."
Jason's attention shoots to Leah, brow furrowed as the stress and frustration continues to boil. "We all are! I've got a pregnant wife at home, for fuck's sake! I was married days ago, Leah. Days ago! You think I'm happy about this? About any of this? That I want to be preparing for a fucking war?" he immediately snaps back through gritted teeth, the words sounding harsh even to his own ears.
Elena is still making repairs to her assault drone as Nathan descends into the cargo hold. Sparks fly against her faceshield as she cuts a piece of metal into shape, oblivious to anything else.
Xiu 's discomfort only grows as Nathan leaves. She remains in place, uncertain what to do, or whether to speak up. She waits in search of the right moment.
Nathan just storms straight to his workstation, coming to a stop at the crates holding his armour upon them. He stares hard at them for a moment before he picks up his tools and gets to work, popping open a plate and starting to work on the internals of the armour system.
Jattic gives a deep sigh as Nathan begins to work. Sleep wasn't coming anyway, but this certainly isn't helping things.
Ilyna places a hand on Jason's shoulder as he snaps to Leah, and lets out a long sigh. She understood his pain and frustration, but she has to calm him down. "Please, Jason," she says, lowering her voice. "She didn't say that we weren't." She doesn't let go off his shoulder. "We can plan our next move when we arrive in Freedom Falls."
Xiu takes a step forward, still standing off to the side from the conversation by the table. "That's on... Aite?" she asks, interrupting.
Leah cocks an eyebrow, understanding giving way to frustration of her own. All of the arguing certainly isn't doing her headache any favors. Still, the last thing she wants to do right now is argue. Especially with her own team. Not after everything they've been through together. She gives an appreciative look Ilyna's way before her green eyes move back to Jason. "I get it, Jason. But we've all got shit going on." she says
Jason pulls his gaze away from Leah as guilt immediately tugs at him for taking out his frustration on her in a kneejerk reaction. Ilyna's voice works to further calm him down, causing him to glance her way with a small nod. Leah's words pull his attention back to her and he opens his mouth to speak but decides against it, merely giving another small nod of his head and hoping it will fill the space of an apology for now.
Leah sits back in her seat, bringing her clunky boots onto the edge of the couch. She doesn't answer Xiu's question right away, but she gets around to it eventually. "Yeah..." she says, finally looking to the woman. "Freedom Falls. That's where we're heading."
Xiu gives an uncomfortable half-smile which fades to a lost expression. "I'm-..." Her gaze wanders from person to person among the three of them, not sure who to address. "Look... I-... I appreciate the rescue, I really... really do. But..." She gestures aimlessly with her right hand. "I'm-... I'm feeling pretty freaking lost here, okay? I d-... everyone... everyone else is gone and-... what happens when we get there? I
don't have anything. Aite is-... i-it's a warzone, isn't it?" Fear. Uncertainty. Distraction as her mind goes back to what happened on the station, her gaze going distant as her thoughts linger on her co-workers. Her gaze falls and she sucks in her lips, going silent.
Ilyna keeps her hand on his shoulder, shifting slightly closer. She offers a faint smile as he appears to calm down, but she doesn't have anything to say. It was just a few days ago where she snapped at him about Ehanis, so there was nothing but understanding in her expression.
Jason takes in a deep breath, reaching across himself with his free hand to place it atop Ilyna's and give it a gentle pat. Xiu's questioning comes as a welcome distraction from the discomfort brought on by him snapping at Leah. But it was also a reminder of all of the people who lost their lives over the past few days. "Aite isn't-..." he begins, but doesn't really have the energy to go into things. "...Freedom Falls is
safe." he decides instead. "We'll help you get set up with a room in town until you can figure out what you're doing." he offers quietly. Recalling the station they found her on causes his thoughts to drift to James. To Lucy.
Xiu gives a few small nods. "I-... thank you." she says quietly. She looks off to the side, remaining in place as she goes silent, her thoughts wandering again.
Ilyna lets go off his shoulder while he addresses Xiu's question. "I should check on Ehanis," she says, a hint of worry in her voice. "I haven't seen her since last night." She starts walking towards the hallway.
Jason gives a single nod in response to Xiu, unable to muster much more than that. He pulls his hand back as Ilyna takes her leave before looking between Xiu and Leah, his gaze lingering on the latter for a moment. With a deep breath, he casts a glance back towards the bridge. "Yeah, I think I'm gonna-..." he cocks a thumb towards the door, "...step out for a few, too. Clear my head." He gives one last look Leah's way before
Leah doesn't give any angry looks. No eye rolls or attitude. They're all stressed out. Tired. Upset. They all want to go home. She forces a small smile and gives Jason a nod when he meets her gaze. They made it out of that ship together. It's going to take more than a little yelling to pull them all apart.
Xiu 's gaze falls, and she heads over to the sink, filling up a glass of water which she proceeds to sip in silence, looking down at the drain.